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2014 Tour

How did we get to Toronto already? I remember the the weeks leading up to tour like they were yesterday. How many pairs of shoes would I need? 2? 6? And underwear? 14 or 47?

Planning to be out of town for two weeks performing is very different from planning to be gone for two weeks on vacation. I mean, who brings tails to the pool in Hawaii? Not to mention the fact that this is my first tour ... But not to worry, in the end I brought an adequate amount of shoes and undergarments.

Yesterday the Amtrak Acela Express (also known as the Los Angeles Philharmonic) rolled into Union Station and we were quickly whisked away to the Park Hyatt Washington D.C. We then had a total of about four hours to eat, rest and see some sights before another convoy of buses brought us to the Kennedy Center for a 30-minute acoustic rehearsal! And then ... well of course the main attraction followed at 8pm: a concert featuring the Symphony #1 of John Corigliano and the Fifth of Tchaikovsky.

I can report firsthand that the concert was a tremendous success ... The audience standing and applauding so enthusiastically that we had to oblige with an encore: a Polonaise of Tchaikovsky. More ear-shattering applause followed!

It's a wrap for us in New York! The LA Phil's Monday night performance inside Avery Fisher Hall marked a fitting end to our first East Coast engagement. So, before we set our sights squarely on the nation's capitol, here's a quick look into what made last night's Manhattan finale so grand:

The resplendent gigantic truck of the LA Phil permeating an air of effulgence yet intimate familiarity, this tour has been a tantalizing teaser (I am only doing three cities) with the admirable onstage and adorable offstage, lovable musicians and fun efficient staff. Only one more to go in my hometown on an Irish-green day, as for the irresistible Maestro, only two words: never enough.

Looking forward to July at the Bowl, birth place of my orange dress. ;)

The standing ovation following the LA Phil's Sunday afternoon concert was not the orchestra's first 2014 tour triumph, but it was our first (so far!) at New York's City's hallowed Lincoln Center.

As part of that great institution's "Great Performers" series, Gustavo Dudamel led the LA Phil in another moving performance of John Corigliano's First Symphony and a masterfully restrained take on Tchaikovsky's Fifth. (Cue the thundering applause.)

The LA Phil's first time at the Kauffman Center was a huge symphonic success! The crowd went wild for Gustavo Dudamel, the orchestra, the program, and, last, but hardly least, the phenomenal Yuja Wang. Kansas City Star reporter Libby Hanssen also went a little wild for our "vivid" performance! (And for us in general.)

Members of the LA Phil Board of Directors, musicians and friends at Darioush Winery.

The San Francisco part of the tour was great! Some 14 board members and their spouses traveled up the coast to enjoy the perfect weather and serve as the most enthusiastic fan club for our beloved LA Phil. We were all so proud of the audiences' incredible responses to our exciting programs, which involved such great new music alongside Tchaikovsky and Brahms. Yuja Wang was also amazing. Both concerts were sold out and received standing ovations.